- Brighton will enter the UEFA Europa Conference League next season
- The play-off round draw takes place on August 3
- Albion will play a minimum of six European matches if they progress
Brighton & Hove Albion will return to European football next season after securing qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League, marking just the second time in the club’s history they will compete on the continental stage.
The competition, run by UEFA, is designed to give more clubs across Europe a route into continental football and follows a structured system of qualifying rounds, a league phase, and knockout stages before a final.
Qualification and early rounds
A total of 155 teams enter the Conference League qualifying system, which includes a qualifying phase and a playoff round. These are split into two pathways: the Champions Path and the Main Path.
The Champions Path features clubs eliminated from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, while the Main Path includes domestic league qualifiers, cup winners, and teams dropping down from the Europa League qualifiers.
Brighton are expected to enter at the playoff round stage if they qualify, avoiding the earliest qualifying rounds. The playoff draw is scheduled for August 3, with ties played over two legs later on August 20 and August 27. Each team plays one home and one away match, with the aggregate score deciding who progresses.
League phase format
If Brighton win their playoff tie, they advance to the league phase, which begins in October. Unlike the Champions League, the Conference League league phase features six matches instead of eight.
Each club plays six different opponents, three at home and three away, drawn from six different pots based on UEFA club coefficients. Each team faces one opponent from each pot pairing, creating a balanced but varied fixture list.
The top eight teams in the league phase automatically progress to the Round of 16. Teams finishing 9th to 24th enter a knockout playoff round to reach the last 16, while those finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from all European competition.
READ MORE: Brighton’s European success comes with familiar frustration – Read Brighton
Knockout rounds and final
The knockout phase begins in February with two-legged ties, leading through the Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals before the final.
The Conference League final is scheduled for June 2, 2027 and is currently set to be played in Istanbul, with a potential alternative venue in Ankara depending on stadium readiness and UEFA approval.
What it means for Brighton
For Brighton, qualification would mean balancing domestic and European football for the first time under Fabian Hurzeler. The structure of the competition ensures a guaranteed minimum of six European matches, with the possibility of extending deep into the knockout stages if they progress.
With squad depth and rotation set to become crucial, the Conference League presents both an opportunity and a challenge as Brighton step onto the European stage once again.
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